To make changes to ownership of property, a new deed will need to be prepared and recorded in the Clerk’s Office where the property is located. The Commonwealth of Virginia does not provide any forms for deed transfers. We recommend seeing an attorney familiar with Virginia law to prepare the deed so that it is prepared properly. All deeds have to meet all standards within the Code of Virginia and the Library of Virginia Recordation Standards.

Exemption codes are found within the Code of Virginia. There are several different sections of the Code for exemptions depending on the circumstances and the document type. Please see the Code of Virginia to determine the section that applies to your document, if any, and reference it on the first page of the document. You can use the Exemption Code Guide also to help. On some documents, two exemptions codes may be required as deeds have two types of taxes and a separate code may be required for each type (Grantor and Grantee). If an exemption code does not apply, a consideration will need to be shown on the first page of the document for which recordation taxes will be based on.

Our office does not report any information to the credit bureaus. If a judgment is on your credit report and you feel that it is incorrect, you would need to contact the credit bureau(s) to remove it. If a judgment is not marked paid on a credit report and it has been released in our office, you can request a copy of the release from our office for you to send to the credit bureau(s) to update their records.

All businesses must file a Tangible Personal Property form by May 1 of each year that reports all property owned as of January 1 of each tax year. Complete and file the Personal Property Return for all vehicles, watercraft, aircraft, manufactured homes, mobile offices, and other property listed on the form. Complete the Business Personal Return and file it with required attachments for all business property and Merchants’ Capital.

Yes. You must request an extension to file no later than May 1 of each tax year. The extension to file will be extended for 90 days. The filing deadline is August 1 when an extension to file is granted.

Rockingham County does not prorate. If your car was garaged in Rockingham County on January 1 of the year you will be billed from Rockingham County; otherwise you will be billed from your previous locality.

It is your responsibility to notify the Department of Motor Vehicles of the status of your vehicle when you dispose of it. Additional documents supporting the disposal of the vehicle may be required if the information is not updated on DMV.

You should receive your bill in November of each year. Personal Property taxes are due by December 5th each year to avoid penalties and interest accumulating. Rockingham County is non-prorating therefore we only bill personal property taxes once each year.

The Office of the Commissioner of the Revenue is responsible for administering all the County’s ad valorem taxes. An ad valorem tax is simply a tax based on the value of the taxable item. Real estate is the best example of an ad valorem tax. Virginia Code §58.1-3201 states: All real estate, except that exempted by law, shall be subject to such annual taxation as may be prescribed by law. All general reassessments or annual assessments, in those localities which have annual assessments of real estate, shall be made at 100% fair market value.

When you call the police or Fire Department, play in a park, send your children to public school, check out a book at the library, or eat at an inspected restaurant, you are using services paid for by your property taxes. Your taxes also pay for services to help people move from welfare to work, protect children and senior citizens from abuse and neglect, protect our water and air from pollution, repair and build roads, and much more. Property taxes are the largest source of local revenue to fund these services that you count on every day. For more information about Rockingham County's budget and the services funded by your property taxes, visit the Rockingham County website.

All real property in Rockingham County is subject to taxation, except properties that are specifically exempt under Article X § 6 of the Constitution of Virginia; or property classified or designated as exempt under Section 58.1-3600 of the Code of Virginia; property owned by the County, state, or federal governments; and property used for religious, charitable, educational, cultural, or recreational uses which are considered non-taxable. Properties may also be subject to exemption by County designation.

Property is assessed as of January 1 of each year. The tax rate is set by the Board of Supervisors as part of the budget process during the 2nd Quarter of the year. This occurs after the County's budgetary needs are reviewed and after public hearings have been held. The real property tax is part of a well-balanced revenue system that enables County residents to share in the cost of police and fire protection, public education, parks and recreation, and other services.

The Code of Virginia mandates that all real property be assessed for taxation purposes at 100% of market value and be fair and equitable. Localities the size of Rockingham County are required by the Code of Virginia to conduct a reassessment a minimum of every four years. A reassessment is a systematic review of all property in the county to determine a fair market value. For Rockingham County the process includes exterior inspections of real property by staff assessors, as well as leaving questionnaires for property owners requesting information as needed about the interior of the buildings and the condition of the property. Sales information for real property sold in Rockingham County is reviewed and a sales ratio analysis is performed by staff assessors to determine fair market value.

During a reassessment, all property values are examined and adjustments are made on individual properties where necessary based upon the above process. This is done to achieve a fair and equitable distribution of real estate taxes. Once this process is complete, reassessment notices are mailed to property owners reporting the new assessed values individually for both land and buildings. Should the property owner(s) believe their assessment is incorrect, they may request an informal appeal with staff assessors. The request must be made during the window of time noted on the reassessment notice.

If, after the informal appeal, the owner still disagrees with the assessed value, the owner may then request a formal appeal to the Board of Equalization which is an independent group of citizens appointed by the Circuit Court of Rockingham County. During the appeal process the Board of Equalization may reduce the assessed value, increase the assessed value or affirm the assessed value established during the reassessment process. If the owner is still in disagreement with the assessed value after the appeal to the Board of Equalization, the next level of appeals is directly to the Circuit Court of Rockingham County.

General reassessments are not designed to be a county-wide tax increase. This process is intended to align each property’s value with its current market value. Thus, the tax burden is more fairly and equally spread among all property owners. The law ensures that a general reassessment cannot be blamed for an increase in taxes. Once the reassessment is complete, state law requires that the tax rate be adjusted and equalized to render the revenue-neutral.

It is the responsibility of the Board of Supervisors to determine the budgetary needs of the County and the tax rate necessary to effectively meet those needs. If deemed necessary, the Board may propose a tax rate that generates more than 101% of the previous year’s tax revenue by advertising and conducting a public hearing separate from the annual budget meeting.

Yes. You should notify your mortgage company of your new assessment. Ask that they adjust your escrow account accordingly. Otherwise, your mortgage company will not be notified of any change in your tax amount until they receive the next tax bill. This could create a shortfall in your escrow account balance, potentially affecting your mortgage payment.

The Virginia Supreme Court has provided the following definition of fair market value: The fair market value of a property is the price which it will bring when it is offered for sale by one who desires, but is not obliged, to sell it, and is bought by one who is under no necessity of having it.

In accordance with Section 58.1-3330 of the Code of Virginia, you are provided a notice as an official statement of the assessed value of your real property for local tax purposes if your value has change 1% or more. The real estate assessment represents the estimated fair market value of your property. This notice is not a tax bill. The assessed value provides the basis for your real estate taxes that will be due on June 5 and December 5 annually.

There are many reasons for a change in property value. The most obvious reason is that real property usually appreciates in value over time and the purpose of a general reassessment is to measure that change and update the fair market value. Value changes can also be created by additions, alterations, or demolitions. The real estate market is in constant change. Every sale, parcel map change or structure improvement is recorded and used to determine change in the fair market value of the real estate market. Even though market value changes all the time, the assessed value is not changed until the next general reassessment. The appraiser in charge of analyzing data for a general reassessment does not create the value. Citizens establish value by buying and selling real estate in the open market. The assessor’s legal responsibility is to determine the fair market value of the property and to insure uniformity and equity amongst all properties.

The Constitution of Virginia requires real estate assessments to represent fair market value. There is no provision to limit the amount of change from one reassessment cycle to the next reassessment cycle (4 year period).

Real estate may be assessed for more than the purchase price because the assessment reflects "fair market value." Fair market value is not necessarily the price paid for a piece of real estate, but rather, what it is worth on the real estate market at the date of measurement. Since the market value is determined at a place in time, market value continues to change after a sale takes place. Values also change, and the property value may have gone up since the purchase. This is especially true if a piece of real estate was purchased several years ago, or if a person happened to get a good buy because of a distress sale condition. Assessed value should represent fair market value at the time of the reassessment, which may or may not be the same as purchase price or a real estate sales price.

As more and more land is developed, the supply of available vacant land decreases, driving the sale prices of land higher. As sale prices of land increase, so does the subsequent value of all land, improved or unimproved.

A “Home Site” or “House Site” is all or part of a parcel that is best suited for single family residential construction. Applying the concept of “highest and best use”, this part of the land parcel is worth significantly more than the residual acreage.

The supply and demand of small acreage parcels vs. large acreage parcels greatly differs . This can be due to many different reasons. Maintenance, financing, necessity are a few but the reasons are vary from purchaser to purchaser.

Manufactured homes are taxed as personal property unless they have been converted over to real estate through a formal application process by the Clerk of the Court. Prior to conversion, anyone who owns their own land and places a manufactured home on it will receive a real estate bill for the assessed value of the land and any improvements i.e. porches, decks, paved driveways, fences, etc. The land and improvements are taxed as real estate, and the manufactured home is billed separately as personal property.

The assessed value is the sum of the value of all the factors on your property that are “a fixed” to the ground. Outbuildings such as sheds, barns, and detached garages add functionality and utility to your property, thereby increasing the market value of your parcel.

New construction that is not fit for occupancy is assessed at its value reflecting the percentage of completion (e.g. 50%, 75%, etc.). When the new construction is substantially completed and/or fit for use it is picked up at 100% assessment for the remaining months of the year

Sale price is the actual price a buyer pays for a particular property.

An appraisal is a detailed single property valuation, and may be obtained any time throughout the year. Appraisals can have a variety of purposes, e.g. mortgage loan, sale, home equity loan, and estate valuations. The County does not do individual appraisals of this type.

An assessment is a mass appraisal of all property within a locality as of January 1 of the reassessment year for tax purposes. Assessments are based on large numbers of sales that are analyzed to determine values for large groups of similar properties.

The 2016 tax rate is $0.70 per $100 of assessed value. To compute the real estate tax on a property assessed at $100,000, divide the assessed value by 100 and multiply by the tax rate: ($100,000 ÷ 100) x $0.70 = $700.00

You must be 65 years old or older on December 31 of the year immediately preceding the taxable year. The total household income cannot exceed $38,000 and total net worth cannot exceed $78,000, excluding the value of the dwelling and the land, not exceeding one acre. Please see the Elderly Tax Relief page for additional information. Elderly Tax Relief page

You must be permanently and totally disabled on December 31 of the year immediately preceding the taxable year. The total household income cannot exceed $38,000 and total net worth cannot exceed $78,000, excluding the value of the dwelling and the land, not exceeding one acre. Please see the Disabled Tax Relief page for additional information. Disabled Tax Relief

Applications are accepted annually between January 1 and April 1. April 1 is the filing deadline. You may request an application to be mailed to you or use the printable application from our website for either elderly or disabled. Please call (540) 564-3067 for an application.

Veterans who have a service connected disability may qualify for real estate tax exemption on the dwelling and the land, not exceeding one acre. Please see the Veterans with 100% Service-Connected Disability page for additional information. Veterans with 100% Service Connected Disabilities

Call our County office at (540) 564-3030 to speak with a permit specialist who will assist you in scheduling your inspection. Note: Inspections must be called in the by 2:00 pm the day before in order to have your inspection scheduled the next day.

If the property that you are applying for your permit is your primary residence, and you have not listed yourself as a contractor on any other property for 2 years, then you are eligible to list yourself as a contractor (general, electrical, mechanical, plumbing) on your permit. To do so, fill out an Affidavit and have it notarized to be brought in at the time of application. Rockingham County Community Development does have public notaries within its department, however their availability is not always guaranteed.

If you are located in the floodplain, you will be required to obtain an engineering certificate stating that your property is out of the floodplain. If you are under the floodplain elevation, architect/engineered designs will be required on your footers before you may proceed with the building permit application.

Yes, foundation surveys are required on parcels one acre or less in size. The foundation survey is required after your permit has been approved and the footers have been inspected and received a passed inspection. The foundation survey must be dated after the approved footer inspection.

- Rockingham County does not require a business license, however you should contact the Zoning Administrator at (540) 564-3030, to determine if you may need a home occupation permit, special use permit or site plan. The Commissioner of Revenue’s Office should also be contacted to determine if there are any other licenses or approvals one would need from their office. Their number is (540) 564-3067. To obtain more information on professional licenses, please visit the Dept. of Professional and Occupational Regulations

Residents living in Rockingham County that operate a business within their home and qualify for a Home Occupation need to apply for a Home Occupation permit. If the occupation requires a special use within the designated district then residents are required to apply for a Special Use Permit. The fee to apply for a Home Occupation permit is $50.00 and is valid for three years.

Individuals should meet with the zoning administrator prior to having a special use agency review meeting to determine if their use qualifies. If so, individuals are required to fill out an agency review meeting worksheet. After hearing comments from all agencies, if applicant chooses to move forward with a special use permit, a special use permit application needs to be completed along with the required sketch and 550.00 review fee. At this point a second meeting with the zoning administrator is advised to go over the application before submittal. This application then goes to a public hearing before the Board of Supervisors for a determination if the use should be approved or denied. This process normally takes about 3 months from the date the application is submitted.

Individuals interested in constructing poultry houses should make an appointment to meet with the zoning administrator to see if their property qualifies for poultry houses. If the property qualifies, they will be given an application to complete along with a checklist of items that need to be completed. These items will include surveying work to determine setbacks from property lines and dwellings, engineering work to determine litter storage site, approval from VDOT for the entrance, notarized consent of adjoining landowners if setbacks are to be reduced, nutrient management plan, and erosion and sediment control bond. When all of the items on the checklist have been completed, the application along with all the required paperwork should be brought back to the zoning administrator for review. When all paperwork has been submitted and if all requirements are met, a building permit for the poultry houses can be obtained (this is a farm building permit and requires no inspections).

Yes, a permit is required for all open air burning. The Rockingham County Fire Prevention Code prohibits the open burning of household trash, construction debris, rubber tires, asphalt shingles, plastics, rubber, vinyl, plywood, treated lumber, OSB, or similar items.

A Violation of any provision of the Rockingham County Fire Prevention Code is a Class 1 Misdemeanor, punishable by confinement in jail for not more than twelve months and a fine. Fires must be attended at all times and completely extinguished before leaving.

The following document contains information pertaining to (a) When applications are required and (b) Exemptions from application for permits per the Virginia Construction Code. View Virginia Code Section 108.

A site plan is a detailed drawing of proposed improvements to a given property, usually prepared by a surveyor or engineer. A site plan shows the building footprint, travel ways, parking, drainage facilities, sanitary sewer lines or systems, water lines or wells, trails, sidewalks, lighting, landscaping, and other required elements. For more information please contact the development manager at (540) 564-3030.

If you will be disturbing greater than 10,000 square feet or are part of a greater plan of development, such as a subdivision, then you will need a permit. If your project exceeds one acre or 43,560 square feet in disturbed area you will need a plan designed by an engineer or architect. Certain agricultural operations are exempt from this ordinance, reference the county ordinance for those exemptions or contact the Department of Community Development. Please contact Environmental Manager Lisa Perry (540) 564-6095 if you have further questions. Department of Community Development

The online GIS is now located at rockingham.interactivegis.com. At the main page, to access the site check the ’I have read and agree to the terms below’ box and select the Guest Access button. If you are on a mobile device, select the mobile site box and position your device in Landscape Mode for best results.

Yes! You can now access the site anywhere you have the internet, including your phone or tablet. Select ‘I have read and agree to the terms below’ box and the mobile site box and position your device in Landscape Mode for best results.

Select Owner Name/Tax ID search tool, by default Owner Name is listed in the Search By drop down menu. Refer to the example below the search box to format the search:

Begins with: (Last Name first) space (First name)

*Note: if using 'begins with' or 'contains' in the second dropdown, the results will bring up any properties that begin with or contain the words entered in the search box. Names must be spelled and formatted correctly based on how they appear in the property records if searching ‘Matches Exactly’.

Select Owner Name/Tax ID search tool, choose Parcel ID in the drop down menu next to Search By:. Refer to the example below the search box to format the ID number.

Begins with: 125-(A)- L1(There is a space between the second ‘dash’ and the ‘L’)

*Note this will return all tax map numbers that begin with 125-(A)- L1, if you know your exact tax map number, change the dropdown menu next to That: to ‘Matches Exactly’ and input the tax ID in the appropriate format shown in the example.

Select Address Search tool, with the default setting to search That: ‘Begins With’ in the second drop down menu, type in the beginning of the 911 address starting with the number of the property.

Ex: 3538 N will display the result 3538 N Valley Pike

If just 3538 was typed into a search That: ‘Begins With’, all properties that have the 911 address beginning with 3538 will be listed. In this instance, two results.*Note: If typing full road names, only abbreviated road suffixes will return results. Road = Rd, Drive = Dr, Street = St

Navigating to the property inside the map can be done in two different ways, each requiring the use of the tools in the upper right hand corner in order to interact with the map to browse to your desired location.

By default the identify tool is selected, click the pan tool (hand icon in the upper right hand corner of the screen), and by holding the left mouse button down and moving your mouse the screen location will adjust accordingly. You may then zoom into the area that you have panned to either by the +/- bar in the top left hand corner of the map, or by using your mouse wheel if you have one. Move wheel forward to zoom in, and backwards to zoom out.

You may also select the Zoom tool to the right of the pan tool (hand icon) to draw a zoom box on top of your desired location. After you have drawn the box and released your mouse, you will zoom to that area.

*Note: The Quick Zoom drop down menu under the Map View tab will take you to the selected town or jurisdiction chosen.

After identifying the location of your property either by utilization of the search tools, or zooming to the area of interest, click on the parcel of interest. You will see a summary of results displayed, with the Property Card link at the top of the results menu.

*Note: By default the identify tool is active to perform this task, however if you change tools to navigate within the map, you must switch back to the identify tool in order to select a property to return results.

While the identify tool will enable you to gain more detailed information as well as give you the property card on every property you identify, you may just be interested in a snapshot of neighboring properties. Under the Map Layer tab, expand the Tax Parcels folder. Tax parcel property lines which are turned on by default will appear when zoomed in to 60% on the map. Here you can also turn the Tax Parcel Labels on so that you may view the tax parcel numbers associated with the parcel while navigating inside the map. The yellow balloon icon next to the Tax Parcels layer is a pop up feature which will enable you to get a snapshot of information on the parcel without identifying it, simply hover your mouse over the property with the pop up icon selected. If you toggle the pop up on, you will need to switch back to your tools when you are ready to discontinue using the pop up.

The buffered select tool (Green box icon next to Identify tool) will enable you to select adjacent properties and export the results of these properties into an Excel Spreadsheet. Once you have located the property you wish to find adjacent owner information about, select the tool and click that property. Press search and you will see the information in the results pane. You may export results to CSV by clicking the export link at the top of the results pane.

To print the map of your desired location, select the print tool icon. A Title/Scale bar may be toggled on which will enable you to customize the name of the map. When you are ready select the Print button and wait while your map is converted into a PDF image which may be downloaded from the site to an electronic file, or printed once the conversion has completed.Print from your browser: depending on what browser you are using, you may right click and print or choose print from your browser menu. This will enable you to also print the information displayed in the results frame. Changing from portrait to landscape, or adjusting scale in print settings may be required if using this option.

Print from your browser: depending on what browser you are using, you may right click and print or choose print from your browsers menu. This will enable you to also print the information displayed in the results frame. Use print preview in your browser to change scale, or switch the view to Landscape to include more of the map area. In portrait mode you may need to move the map closer to the results panel by using the pan tool to make sure your desired area is captured.

In default view, the different colored polygons represent building structure footprints. You may go to the Map Layer tab, and expand the Structures folder to view the legend to see what each color represents. You may also toggle this layer on or off here and still keep the 911 Addresses on by leaving their label selected under the same folder.

Changing the Quick Theme (Second drop down menu on the Map View tab) to property view will toggle on these selections. You may still go into the Map Layer tab to add additional layers on top of these. You can toggle back to Default View at any point by going back to the Quick Theme drop down.

If aerials selected in the Map Layers tab do not provide enough visual representation of the property, you may select the Google Street View icon (green car) then select the road in front of the property where the house is located. This will take you to the Google Street View site, and if these roads have been captured by Google you will now be able to view the property and surrounding area from the ground.

While identifying the property will give you a snap shot of the zoning on a property, you may ask the question ‘Well what does this zoning mean?’ Go to your Map Layer tab, expand the Zoning and Districts folder and check the box next to zoning to turn your zoning layer on. You can expand the legend to see the symbology of the zones, and identifying your property with the zoning layer on will bring up a new link at the bottom of the results window. Click the Zoning Use icon to open up Municode which will explain the permitted, special, accessory, and reserved uses eligible within your zoning description. Move back to your Map Layer tab and turn on the Ag and Forestal Districts and do the same if your property falls within one of those districts.

Locate your property on the map. Under the Map Layer tab, expand the Zoning and Districts folder and toggle on Election Boundaries. Take note of the precinct label and identify your property to list results about the precinct you fall under. The Rockingham County Precinct information page icon will link you to the registrar page where you can see the address and polling place within your district.

Locate your property on the map. Under the Map Layer tab, expand the Zoning and Districts folder and toggle on School Districts. The label and boundary of school districts will tell you what elementary, middle, and high schools your children will attend based on where your property resides in relation to the boundary line.

Locate your property on the map. Under the Map Layer tab, expand the Environmental folder and toggle on Floodplain data & Floodway layers. If this layer appears on top of your property, your property is located in the floodplain or floodway. Contact our Stormwater department at 540-564-6095 if this is the case in order to learn more.

Rockingham County moved to a new online system at the beginning of the year 2014 first and foremost to provide users with a more stable and reliable system to ensure data availability. The need for a faster performing system with additional functionality such as mobile use also influenced this decision. As you can see from the FAQ above, there is a wide array of various uses for the online GIS, each requiring a different approach to interact with the map. While we realize there is no one size fits all solution, we will continue to work with the developer and host to meet these various needs, while continuing to offer and supply additional Rockingham County information and data to enrich user experience.

Foster parenting is accepting a child into your care who might have been abused or neglected or who might need a temporary home. The foster parent is a temporary caregiver for a child whose goal is to return home or to be placed with a relative. A foster parent works with a team of people (the social worker, therapist, teachers, and the child's family, to name a few) to assist this child. Being a foster parent is both rewarding and challenging.

Online registrations can be completed and payments made with a Visa or MasterCard. You will be brought to a new page and asked to enter your phone number (with area code) as your user name and the last name of the parent as your password.

If you have participated in any program in the past we may have already created an account for you. If you are new please complete the process to create your household account.

Walk-in registrations can be made at our office Monday through Friday from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm.

Note: Some registrations will be done at other locations, check specific information for each activity.(Tackle football and cheerleading registrations will not be offered online (office only)). Online Recreation Registration

Game cancellations will be made after 4:00 pm Monday through Friday and after 7:00 am on Saturdays. Announcements will be made on local radio stations and check our Facebook page for updates. If school is cancelled due to inclement weather all Recreation programs will be cancelled. Contact your coach for practice cancellations.

After School payments are made on a monthly basis. We process your monthly fee and add charges to your account at the beginning of each month. Log in to your household account, select your shopping cart, and proceed to checkout.

Summer Playground payments can be made online by logging in to your account and selecting Summer Playgrounds. Choose your participant, choose your school location, and go to the calendar. You can pay for the entire summer, each week, or pay the daily rate. Add your selection to the shopping cart and proceed to checkout.

For your records, the transfer will appear on your regular bank statement. Should you ever feel that the transfer amount is incorrect, notify your bank to research the transfer. A reversal can be made up to 15 day after you receive your statement. You can also stop payment on a transfer just like checks drawn on your account.

Simply complete the authorization form and return it to us along with a voided check showing the bank and checking or savings account you want charged for your payment. We’ll do the rest.Return authorization form below to:County Of RockinghamAttn: Preauthorized Payment PlanP.O. Box 471Harrisonburg, VA 22803Authorization Form

You will receive a letter of appointment from Rockingham County’s Electoral Board for a specific term, usually 12 months. From the list of officers of election, the Board will then make assignments for each election. If not assigned, you will be considered an extra.